MMA Submission: The MMA/College Wrestling Pipeline

Check out about 30 seconds of any Phil Davis match , and it's obvious why the kid is college wrestling's latest hot MMA prospect. He's a four-time All-American who just won his first national title as a senior. The Penn Stater is an athletic freak, with gi-enormous arms and surprising power for his lanky 197-pound frame. Throw in plenty of personality (he swears he's a sewing addict) and it's obvious why Team Takedown, a year-old organization that "hires" former wrestlers and pays them a salary and living expenses, is after Davis hard. "He's probably our No. 1 target," says TT founder Ted Ehrhardt. "He could be a really good one."

Davis may be the top target, but he's not the only one. Here are two more prospects, according to an informal poll of college wrestling coaches, MMA trainers and fighters with a wrestling background.

J.D. Bergman, Ohio State: He just lost in the NCAA finals. But he's a long, lean heavyweight who moves well for a big guy. Here's a clip of him defeating Davis last year at 197 pounds . Plus, if you saw the NCAA championships this year, he does an amazing Governator. "He would do well," says one coach of a top-five program. "You gotta be mean to make it in MMA. He looks and sounds nice, but I have no doubt he'd be good at punching people in the face."

That funny. I used to play Halo with Phil Davis in college all the time. He was roommates with my best friend the heavy weight as PSU. They like to sew 3 to 4 times per week.

matt_black

4/23/08 8:59:16AM

Team Takedown?...

roadking95th

4/24/08 12:01:12AM

Very good article. I always thought it interesting when I would hear "he's a great college wrerstler" and I would be thinking that he is good, much, much better than me, but come on.

I think we are beginning to see the tip of the iceberg.

I did like the GSP comments. They were very accurate and are what I have tried to explain before. Canada has a wrestling team? I heard Jamaica has a bobsled team too. Yea, yea I know the comparison isn't that accurate but....you get the point.

edit: when I said much, much better....I meant immensely

F--K_Luck_AuH2O

4/24/08 4:12:23PM

I had the privladge of losing to Phil Davis...not bad though...actuallly pretty close. But yea, he had like a Punisher skull sowed onto his shoes. So I guess he does sow.